July 26, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H5297 

preventable air crash near Buffalo. Due 

to their passion and dedication, Congress passed historic aviation safety reforms 2 years ago. But this bill would 

prevent many of those reforms from becoming reality. 

Our colleague, KATHY HOCHUL attempted to offer an amendment to protect these reforms from this moratorium. Inexplicably, the Rules Committee blocked her amendment. These 

reforms have the support of both parties, but now partisan politics is getting in the way of lifesaving regulations. I urge the defeat of this antisafety legislation. 

f 

CONDEMNING THE ATROCITIES 

THAT OCCURRED IN AURORA, 

COLORADO 

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Mr. Speaker, 

pursuant to the order of the House of 

July 25, 2012, I call up the concurrent 

resolution (H. Con. Res. 134) condemning, in the strongest possible 

terms, the heinous atrocities that occurred in Aurora, Colorado, and ask for 

its immediate consideration. 

The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution. 

The text of the concurrent resolution 

is as follows: 

H. CON. RES. 134 

Whereas, on July 20, 2012, an armed gunman opened fire at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, killing 12 and wounding 58 

others; 

Whereas many individuals at the theater 

selflessly sought to aid and protect others 

above their own safety; 

Whereas the Aurora Police Department 

and the Aurora Fire Department quickly and 

bravely acted to prevent the additional loss 

of life; and 

Whereas local, State, and Federal law enforcement, firefighter, and medical service 

professionals performed their duties with utmost skill and coordination: Now, therefore, 

be it 

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the 

Senate concurring), That Congress— 

(1) condemns, in the strongest possible 

terms, the heinous atrocities that occurred 

in Aurora, Colorado; 

(2) offers its condolences to the families, 

friends, and loved ones of those who were 

killed in the attack and expresses its hope 

for the rapid and complete recovery of the 

wounded; 

(3) applauds the hard work and dedication 

exhibited by the hundreds of local, State, 

and Federal officials and the others who offered their support and assistance; and 

(4) honors the resilience of the community 

of the City of Aurora and the State of Colorado in the face of such adversity. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. 

WOMACK). Pursuant to the order of the 

House of Wednesday, July 25, 2012, the 

gentleman from Colorado (Mr. COFFMAN) and the gentleman from Colorado 

(Mr. PERLMUTTER) each will control 15 

minutes. 

The Chair recognizes the gentleman 

from Colorado (Mr. COFFMAN). 

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. 

Speaker, we can never explain nor fully 

comprehend evil, but last Friday we 

were reminded of its existence. The 

face of evil emerged when a cold blooded, calculating mass murderer trapped 

unsuspecting movie patrons packed in 

a darkened theater in my hometown of 

Aurora, Colorado. 

Today, on the floor of the United 

States House of Representatives, we 

pause to again remember the victims 

of this horrendous crime and to honor 

the courage of so many who put their 

own lives at risk to limit the carnage. 

The victims who lost their lives in 

the early morning hours of last Friday 

are: Veronica Moser, age 6; Alex Teves, 

age 24; Jessica Ghawi, age 24; Alex Sullivan, age 27; Matt McQuinn, age 27; 

Micayla Medek, age 23; John Larimer, 

age 27; A.J. Boik, age 18; Rebecca 

Wingo, age 32; John Blunk, age 26; 

Jesse Childress, age 29; Gordon Cowden, 

age 51. 

Aurora is a proud suburban community, mostly of working class and middle class families, who share basic 

American values, the values of hard 

work, and of faith in God, and of family. 

My family came to Aurora, Colorado, 

in 1964 when my father, a career soldier, was sent to Fitzsimmons Army 

Medical Center for his last assignment 

in the U.S. Army. Back then, Aurora 

was just a small town surrounded by 

three military bases. In the 1970s, Aurora transitioned away from being a 

military town, although it still has an 

Air Force base. Aurora has grown to 

become the third-largest city in the 

State of Colorado, with a population of 

over 300,000 residents. Aurora has also 

grown to become the most racially and 

ethnically diverse city in the State of 

Colorado. 

Aurora has received the ‘‘All-American City Award’’ by the National 

League of Cities in recognition of being 

a community whose citizens work together to identify and tackle community-wide challenges and for having 

achieved uncommon results. A couple 

of weeks ago, I was at a meeting with 

the Aurora Board of Realtors where 

Mayor Steve Hogan was speaking. He 

proudly informed the audience that 

Aurora was ranked as the eighth-safest 

city of its size in the country. 

b 0920 

No doubt we are still in shock and 

trying to understand why this happened to our community. 

The theater where so many lost their 

lives and where so many were injured 

lies in the heart of our city. The vacant 

ground beside the theater has been designated by our city’s planners to be the 

future site of the City Center. 

Aurora will never be the same after 

this horrific act of evil that occurred 

last week, but the citizens of Aurora 

are caring and resilient, and a long 

process of healing has already begun. 

We will stand together and come back 

stronger than before this attack. 

When I think of all the victims of 

this tragedy and how much our community has suffered, I am reminded by 

a refrain from a hymn that I have often 

sung in church: 

And He will raise you up on eagle’s wings, 

Bear you on the breath of dawn, 

Make you to shine like the sun, 

And hold you in the palm of His hand. 

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of 

my time. 

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Mr. Speaker, 

thank you for the opportunity the 

other day for us to have a moment of 

silence. I know it was important to the 

members of our delegation as well as to 

the people of our community in Aurora, Colorado, and the whole metropolitan area. 

I had a chance to speak on Tuesday. 

I have a number of things to say, but I 

know each of us in our delegation bears 

a heavy heart as a result of all this, 

and I would like others to be able to 

share some of their thoughts. 

With that, I yield 2 minutes to my 

friend from Boulder, Mr. POLIS. 

Mr. POLIS. I want to thank my colleague, Mr. PERLMUTTER from Colorado, not only for bringing forward this 

resolution, but for spending time with 

those affected in the aftermath of this. 

I’d also like to thank President Obama 

for immediately changing his plans and 

coming to Colorado to express, on behalf of our Nation, grief and provide 

what comfort he could to the victims 

and their families. 

I think one thing that’s important 

for Americans to understand is Aurora 

is a community just like yours. My district is several miles from Aurora, but 

I’ve been to movies myself in Aurora. I 

drive through it frequently on the way 

to the airport. 

This could be anywhere. It’s a safe 

community. It’s a community of loving 

families. It’s a growing city. And the 

tragedy that occurred could have been 

at any one of our neighborhood theaters. 

Going to the movie theater, an expression of innocent joy, something 

that people have grown up with for 

generations, the magic of the silver 

screen and lives torn apart, not only 

those who lost their lives tragically, 

not only those who were injured, some 

of whom remain in the hospital, but all 

the others that were terrified, scared in 

the other theater, in the other movie 

theaters that night, in the community 

at large, this was, in many ways, a 

crime against innocence and a crime 

against enjoyment and diversion. People turn to movies, turn to entertainment for a moment’s respite, a moment’s entertainment from their daily 

lives, and this tragic end really represents an end of innocence for so 

many people that were affected. 

But so, too, we’ve seen many great 

heroes rise to the occasion: the courageous responders, the community of 

Aurora, Mayor Hogan, the families of 

those affected, and our criminal justice 

system. We all come together in difficult times. We all come together, and 

together with the love, respect, and 

support from American families across 

the country, the victims’ families 

know that they’re not alone, and that’s 

important. 


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H5298 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE July 26, 2012 

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. 

Speaker, I’d like to yield 4 minutes to 

the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. TIPTON). 

Mr. TIPTON. I thank the gentleman 

for yielding. 

Mr. Speaker, I think that we all 

struggle to be able to find words to be 

able to address a flash point in time in 

the city of Aurora to where we saw the 

absolute worst of humanity in the 

senseless slaughter of innocent people. 

But we also saw the best of humanity 

as people rose to be able to protect 

their loved ones, as we saw emergency 

service personnel rush to the scene to 

be able to operate in the hospitals 

where doctors and nurses fought valiantly to be able to preserve life. 

As we look back on that day, we 

can’t help but be reminded that too 

many lives were cut short, and chapters that were yet to be written needlessly and mindlessly were cut off. 

The hearts of all Coloradans and, in 

fact, what we’ve seen demonstrated on 

this floor I think speaks to the heart of 

this country, as people rose as one to 

be able to express their empathy and 

their concern. We saw neighbors and 

strangers reaching out and helping 

hands all praying for that opportunity 

and ability to be able to find the right 

words, if there could ever be such 

words, to offer some modicum of comfort to those who suffered such a tragic 

loss. 

This is a date that certainly our 

State and the people of Aurora will 

never forget. It has touched each and 

every one of our hearts, and you can 

not help but condemn, obviously, the 

act. But each one of us, I think, this 

day and for days, weeks, months, and 

years to come, will continue to offer up 

prayers for those who lost their lives, 

for the families that were affected, and 

our thanks, our thanks for those who 

showed such love and concern, and for 

all the emergency service personnel 

who were there to defend people who 

just were out for a good evening. 

Mr. Speaker, I applaud this resolution and this Colorado delegation’s 

standing together today to be able to 

express this and thank this House for 

the support that they’ve shown, as 

well, for the people of Colorado. 

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Mr. Speaker, I’d 

like to yield 3 minutes to DIANA

DEGETTE, my friend from Denver, who 

had a number of constituents in the 

movie theater that evening. 

Ms. DEGETTE. Mr. Speaker, I’d like 

to thank my dear friend and colleague, 

ED PERLMUTTER, for yielding to me. 

This is a difficult week for all of us in 

Colorado. 

There were two movie theaters in the 

Denver metro area that were showing 

this premiere at midnight last Thursday night. So there were people from 

all over the community in that theater 

there with their families and their 

friends, almost the entire employees of 

a restaurant in Colorado. They went to 

have a fun evening on a summer night. 

And tragedy, of course, struck that 

night unexpectedly to everybody. 

I’ve been overwhelmed, as we all have 

in the delegation, by the support of the 

community for all of the victims of the 

shooting and their families. 

b 0930 

The way the communities have come 

together—Aurora and Denver and 

Inglewood and all of the communities— 

has been a blessed thing to see for all 

of us. 

No one can make sense of a tragedy 

like this, and the stories of heroism are 

still coming out every day. The stories 

of miracles—babies born just a day or 

two after in the same hospital where 

the father lies in a coma. Yet while we 

hear all of these stories of heroism and 

while we hear all of the stories of first 

responders rushing to the scene and 

helping within 90 seconds, in our heart 

we say: How can this happen and what 

can we do? 

I did have a number of constituents 

in that theater, some who were just injured, some who were in the nearby 

theaters who will be scarred psychologically forever by this, a close friend 

of my daughter, and others. I had at 

least three constituents who were 

killed by this terrible crime. The little 

girl, Veronica Moser, age 6—whose 

mother, Ashley, lies in critical condition—Jessica Ghawi and Alex Teves. 

Our prayers and thoughts go out to all 

of them and their families. 

It’s wonderful to see my friends from 

the delegation here, the entire House 

delegation from Colorado. We consider 

ourselves to be close allies, although 

we often disagree on different issues. 

I just want to say something to all of 

my colleagues and to everyone in this 

House, Mr. Speaker. We have now had, 

as of today, 25 moments of silence as 

respects victims of gun violence since 

the Columbine shooting. I was here for 

that too. We had two moments of silence just the other day, one for Aurora and one for the anniversary of the 

Capitol police officer who was killed 10 

years ago today. 

So we can have our debates, we can 

have our discussions, we can mourn for 

the victims, which is appropriate this 

week; but it is our challenge, as leaders 

of our State and leaders of our country, 

to go on from today and to say: What 

can we seriously do as a Nation to 

make sure that no tragedy of this 

scope or horror ever happens in this 

country again? 

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. 

Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. LAMBORN). 

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I want 

to thank Representative MIKE COFFMAN and Representative ED PERLMUTTER for leading this time this 

morning. 

Mr. Speaker, the fact that the entire 

delegation—bipartisan delegation—is 

here is just a small reflection of how 

the people of Colorado are coming together and the people of Aurora are 

coming together after this senseless 

tragedy. 

We’ve heard a lot of stories of bravery, both on the parts of the first responders and the parts of everyday citizens. I want to tell a story of one of the 

victims. 

I’d like to share the story of Caleb 

Medley. Caleb is from the small town 

of Florence, just south of Colorado 

Springs. Today, Caleb lies in a medically induced coma after being shot in 

the face. In the days since that horrific 

shooting, his wife, Katie, has given 

birth to their first child, Hugo. 

Caleb spent his teen years in Florence; and after graduating from high 

school, he married his high school 

sweetheart, Katie. He went to work at 

a local grocery store. Like most people, he and Katie have big plans and 

dreams for their lives. From the time 

he was in eighth grade, Caleb has wanted to be a standup comedian. Katie 

wants to work in veterinarian medicine. The young couple moved to the 

Denver suburb of Aurora to pursue 

their dreams. 

On July 18, just 2 days before the 

shooting, Caleb appeared at the Comedy Works and did well enough to advance to the next round. And he and 

his wife, Katie, were looking forward to 

their baby’s birth a few days later. But 

before little Hugo could be born, Caleb 

and Katie made the fateful decision to 

go out one last night before becoming 

parents. According to a Web site that 

Caleb’s family has posted, the two 

stood anxiously in line that night. 

They spent too much on popcorn and 

soda. They endured the movie trailers, 

and they watched the beginning of the 

movie. That’s when evil struck. Evil 

came to them through a man that 

opened fire in that movie theater. 

Katie and baby Hugo made it out 

uninjured, but Caleb was struck in the 

face by gunfire. Caleb has lost his right 

eye, has some brain damage, and doctors have put him in a medically induced coma. 

So, Mr. Speaker, I ask that the people of America would be praying for 

Caleb and his family. We are pulling 

for you, Caleb, and for all the victims 

of this senseless tragedy. 

Mr. PERLMUTTER. I thank my 

friend DOUG for describing in detail one 

of these injuries. 

I’d like to introduce, Mr. Speaker, if 

I could, for the RECORD some brief biographical information of each of the 

victims who was killed: John Blunk, 

Alexander Jonathan ‘‘AJ’’ Boik, Jesse 

Childress, Gordon Cowden, Jessica 

Ghawi, John Larimer, Micayla Medek, 

Veronica Moser, Alex Sullivan, Alex 

Teves, and Rebecca Wingo, because I 

want our RECORD in this Congress to 

have their names and some information about them. And I appreciate you 

talking about somebody specifically. 

These are hard moments for all of us. 

These are good people, and some very 

bad things happened to some very good 

people. But I want to talk about some 

of the positive aspects that came out of 

this dreadful night. 

Thirteen years ago—DIANA DEGETTE

mentioned Columbine—on the southwest side of my district I have Columbine, on the northeast side of my 


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July 26, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H5299 

district I have this theater. Colorado is 

a good place. I mean, all of us love 

where we come from. We’ve had some 

violent incidents that have taken our 

innocence, as Mr. POLIS has said. We 

heal from these things, but you’re 

never quite the same. You’re never 

quite the same. But one of the positive 

aspects of that terrible incident 13 

years ago at Columbine High School 

was that our law enforcement, our first 

responders, our police, our firefighters, 

our medical teams learned some real 

lessons. 

We have, in the Aurora area, a community college called Aurora Community College, where we have gone 

through a number of exercises to deal 

with a mass casualty incident such as 

this, where the police, the fire, law enforcement agencies from across our 

communities—Denver, Adams, Arapahoe Counties—work together with the 

CU Medical School to address these 

kinds of incidents, and the chief of police, Dan Oates, who deserves a higher 

place in heaven for the way he has 

managed this terrible time on behalf of 

law enforcement. They’ve prepared and 

prepared and prepared. Unbelievably, 

this terrible tragedy happened, but because of that preparation, because of 

what we had gone through before and 

the terrible lessons we learned, lives 

were saved. There’s no question about 

it; lives were saved that otherwise 

would have been lost. 

I want to applaud, again, the Aurora 

police, the Aurora firefighters, the 

medical teams—casualties were taken 

to six or seven different hospitals in 

our area—but they all did an outstanding job. The dispatchers, can you 

imagine all the 911 calls that came in 

that night. We want to thank them. 

We want to thank the FBI. Jim 

Yacone, who is our bureau chief, was 

outstanding on behalf of the Federal 

response to deal both with the shootings that occurred in the theater and 

the elaborate booby trap that was set 

in this apartment—that I drive by at 

least once a week—right across from 

the University of Colorado. This is 

something that we will heal from, but 

we will never be the same. 

And I just want to thank the Aurora 

schools, which provided a place of safety for all of these individuals to go at 

the time of this incident. 

b 0940 

I want to thank the ministerial alliance. As Mr. COFFMAN said, this is a 

community of great faith, and our 

churches and our synagogues have responded in a tremendous fashion to the 

sorrow that we all feel. 

There are many stories, some beautiful ones. The President shared one. 

Before I go further, Mr. Speaker, can 

I inquire as to the time on both sides, 

because I know I have a couple of other 

speakers that would like to speak. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Colorado (Mr. PERLMUTTER) has 41⁄2 minutes. The gentleman from Colorado (Mr. COFFMAN) 

has 4 minutes remaining. 

Mr. PERLMUTTER. I would just 

mention the story, and this is one that 

I’m so proud of people from Colorado. 

There were two young women in the 

back of the theater when the gentleman came in and threw a tear gas 

canister across the theater. And the 

taller of the two noticed that it really 

was something other than a smoke 

bomb and a stunt, and she stood up to 

warn people, and she was shot in the 

neck immediately. 

Blood started to spurt out. Her 

smaller friend pulled her down, compressed that wound, and the older one 

said something, or the one who’d been 

shot said something like you need to 

leave, you need to get out of here. And 

her friend said, I’m not leaving without 

you, and continued to press. 

The police responded very quickly, 

but it probably seemed like an eternity. But the young lady who was shot 

in the neck is on the mend and is going 

to recover fully, and her friend, basically, saved her life, and the quick actions of the police and the fire department. 

So despite these terrible losses that 

we’ve suffered, and there are so many 

heartbreaking stories, there are some 

heartwarming stories as well. 

With that, I reserve the balance of 

my time. 

JULY 20, 2012 AURORA THEATER SHOOTING

VICTIMS

REBECCA WINGO, 32

Steve Hernandez wrote, ‘‘I lost my daughter yesterday to a mad man, my grief right 

now is inconsolable, I hear she died instantly, without pain, however the pain is 

unbearable.’’ Friends said Saturday that 

Wingo’s parents also posted a message about 

Wingo’s death on Wingo’s own Facebook 

page. That page shows a picture of two 

young girls. A friend, Gail Riffle, brought 

two teddy bears, one pink and one white, to 

the memorial site near the movie theater for 

Wingo’s daughters, as well as roses for 

Wingo’s parents. ‘‘Everybody is hurting right 

now,’’ Riffle said. ‘‘She was a gentle, sweet, 

beautiful soul.’’ Rebecca Wingo listed Joe’s 

Crab Shack as her employer on Facebook, 

and a manager at the restaurant in Aurora 

confirmed Wingo worked there. He deferred 

comment to the restaurant’s corporate office, which is closed on Saturday. Rebecca 

Wingo had been enrolled at the Community 

College of Aurora since fall 2009 and had been 

working toward an associate of arts degree. 

MEMORIAL SERVICE INFORMATION

Funeral: Friday, July 27, 2012—TBD. 

JON BLUNK, 26

Jon Blunk, 26, was shot to death in the Aurora Theater while trying to protect his 

girlfriend, Jansen Young. Jon Blunk went to 

Proctor Hug High School in Reno. After his 

2004 high school graduation, he enlisted in 

the Navy and served aboard the USS Nimitz 

in San Diego. Blunk left the Navy and moved 

to Colorado in 2009. He had been working at 

a hardware store at the time of the theater 

shooting. 

MEMORIAL SERVICE INFORMATION

Funeral: Friday, August 3, 2012—1:00 pm 

PDT, Mountain View Mortuary, 425 Stoker 

Avenue, Reno, NV 89503. 

Note: Full military funeral and burial. 

The viewing which will only be attended by 

family and not advertised will be on Thursday, August 2nd from ll am–5 pm. 

ALEXANDER JONATHAN ‘‘AJ’’ BOIK, 18

AJ Boik was being remembered Saturday 

as a talented and kind man who enjoyed 

baseball, making pottery and music. Boik’s 

plans included attending Rocky Mountain 

College of Art and Design in the fall. His 

family said his dream was to become an art 

teacher and open his own studio. ‘‘AJ Boik 

was a wonderful, handsome and loving 18– 

year-old young man with a warm and loving 

heart,’’ the family said in a statement. Survived by mother Theresa Hoover; father Jon 

Boik; brother Wil Boik; grandparents Bill & 

Sue Hoover, Cora Lou Tarrant and Emil 

Boik; numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and 

friends. 

MEMORIAL SERVICE INFORMATION

Visitation: Thurs., 1:00–5:30 pm, Horan & 

McConaty Family Chapel, 11150 E. Dartmouth Ave., Aurora. 

Funeral: Friday, July 27, 2012—10 am MDT, 

Queen of Peace Catholic Church, 13120 E Kentucky Ave, Aurora. 

Memorial Donations suggested to the A.J. 

Boik Memorial Fund, c/o Wells Fargo Bank. 

Share condolences at HoranCares.com. 

JESSE CHILDRESS, 29

Jesse Childress, 29, Air Force Reservist, 

lived in Thornton, CO. Jesse worked as a 

cyber systems operator and was on active 

duty at Buckley Air Force Base. He loved 

sports and comic books, friends say. Nearly 

every day of the week, Jesse Childress spent 

his evenings playing sports with friends. 

Monday it was softball. Tuesday it was bowling. Another night, it was flag football. 

The base released a statement Saturday: 

‘‘This tragic event has affected everybody 

here at Buckley Air Force Base and our local 

community friends and neighbors,’’ base 

commander Col. Daniel Dant said in a statement. ‘‘We are deeply saddened by the loss of 

each and every loved one.’’ According to the 

Air Force Reserve Command, Childress 

worked as a cyber systems operator and was 

currently on active duty. 

MEMORIAL SERVICE INFORMATION

Funeral: Saturday, July 28, 2012—12:00 pm 

MDT—Base Chapel, Buckley Air Force 

Base—Aurora, CO. 

Following the funeral, there will be a procession to Ft Logan where the interment 

will take place at 3:00 pm MDT. There are 

also plans in works for a reception back at 

the base (not sure if at the chapel or LDC at 

this time) somewhere around 5:00 pm–6:00 pm 

MDT, no firm plans are in place yet. 

GORDON W. COWDEN, 51

Gordon Ware Cowden was born on November 17, 1960 in Waco, Texas. Father of 

Kristian, Weston, Brooke and Cierra; son of 

George and Mollie; brother of Graves, George 

(Shirley), Gaylynn (Ken) Kendall. He is also 

survived by the mother of his children 

Melisa. Cowden is the son of former Texas 

State Representative George M. Cowden, according to the Austin Statesman. Cowden 

had taken his two teenage children to the 

theater the night of the shooting. The teenagers escaped unharmed. 

Gordon W. Cowden, 51 of Aurora, Colorado, 

was the oldest of the victims killed. 

His family released this statement: ‘‘Loving father, outdoorsman and small business 

owner, Cowden was a true Texas gentleman 

that loved life and his family. A quick witted 

world traveler with a keen sense of humor, 

he will be remembered for his devotion to his 

children and for always trying his best to do 

the right thing, no matter the obstacle.’’ 

MEMORIAL SERVICE INFORMATION

Funeral: Wednesday, July 25, 2012—11 am 

MDT, Pathways Church, 1595 Pearl Street, 

Denver, CO. 


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H5300 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE July 26, 2012 

Please share memories at HoranCares.com. 

JESSICA GHAWI, 24

Jessica Ghawi was an up-and-coming 

sportscaster who loved hockey. Jessica 

Ghawi, 24, grew up a hockey fan in footballcrazed Texas. She followed that passion to 

Colorado to forge a career in sports journalism. It probably took her to Toronto, 

where she walked out of a shopping-mall 

food court moments before a gunman shot 

seven people. Writing as Jessica Redfield in 

a June 5 blog entry, she described how the 

experience reminded her ‘‘how blessed I am 

for each second I am given.’’ 

MEMORIAL SERVICE INFORMATION

Funeral: Saturday, July 28, 2012—10 am 

CDT, Community Bible Forever New Church, 

2477 North Loop 1604 East, San Antonio, TX. 

Church staffers said they do not have any 

information on whether the event will be 

open to the public. They plan an announcement with more details by Wednesday. 

JOHN LARIMER, 27

Petty Officer Third Class John Thomas 

Larimer was among those killed in the attack at an Aurora movie theater. Larimer, 

27, joined the Navy in June 2011 and was a 

cryptology technician third class. For the 

past year, he had been stationed at the U.S. 

Fleet Cyber Command station at Buckley 

Air Force Base in Aurora. ‘‘I am incredibly 

saddened by the loss of Petty Officer John 

Larimer,’’ Cmdr. Jeffrey Jakuboski, 

Larimer’s commanding officer, said in a 

statement. ‘‘He was an outstanding shipmate. A valued member of our Navy team, he 

will be missed by all who knew him.’’ 

Larimer was from Crystal Lake, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. He wanted to be deployed for 

two simple reasons: He wanted to protect his 

country, and he wanted to save others from 

danger and harm. 

MEMORIAL SERVICE INFORMATION

The family of the Navy Intelligence officer 

is planning a public visitation from 3 to 9 

p.m. July 27 at the Davenport Family Funeral Home in Crystal Lake, Ill. 

His funeral and burial will be private. 

MATT MCQUINN, 27

As a gunman calmly walked up the aisle of 

the Aurora movie theater Friday firing at 

moviegoers, McQuinn dove on top of 

Samantha Yowler. Her brother Nick Yowler, 

32, also tried to shield her, said Robert L. 

Scott, attorney for both the McQuinn and 

Yowler families. Samantha Yowler, 27, was 

shot in the knee. Her brother escaped without injury. But McQuinn, from St. Paris, 

Ohio, was not as fortunate. Matt McQuinn 

graduated from Vandalia-Butler High School 

in 2004. He met Yowler while the two were 

working at a Target store in Springfield, according to the Dayton Daily News. In November, the couple transferred to a Target 

store in Denver, joining Yowler’s brother 

who had lived in Colorado for the past few 

years. 

MEMORIAL SERVICE INFORMATION

Visitation: Friday, July 27, 2012—2–4 pm & 

6–8 pm EDT, Maiden Lane Church of God, 

1201 Maiden Lane Springfield, OH 45504. 

Funeral: Saturday, July 28th—10am EDT, 

Maiden Lane Church of God, 1201 Maiden 

Lane Springfield, OH 45504. 

His burial will be at Lawrenceville Cemetery in Clark County. 

MICAYLA MEDEK, 23

On her Facebook page, Micayla Medek, 23, 

identified herself as a Subway sandwich artist. A graduate of William C. Hinkley High 

School in Aurora, she said she was a member 

of the class of 2015 of the Community College 

of Aurora. ‘‘I’m a simple independent girl 

who’s just trying to get her life together 

while still having fun,’’ she wrote. She is survived by her parents, Greg and Rena; brother, Shane; sister, Amanda; grandparents, 

Laurin and Marlene Knobbe; grandmother, 

Caroline Medek; and numerous other relatives and friends. 

MEMORIAL SERVICE INFORMATION

Visitation: Wednesday, July 25, 2012 from 2 

pm to 9 pm MDT, Newcomer Funeral Home & 

Crematory, 190 N. Potomac, Aurora, CO. 

Funeral: Thursday, July 26, 2012—11 am 

MDT, New Hope Baptist Church, 3701 Colorado Blvd., Denver, CO. 

VERONICA MOSER, 6

Veronica Moser will always be six years 

old. The ‘‘vibrant, excitable’’ blond-haired, 

blue-eyed little girl, who was bragging four 

days ago about learning how to swim, was 

one of the 12 people who died in the Aurora 

theater shooting. Ashley Moser, Veronica’s 

mother, remains in critical condition at Aurora Medical Center. The 25–year-old was 

shot in the neck, and doctors are unable to 

remove the bullet. Moser also suffered a gunshot wound in the abdomen. She passes in 

and out of consciousness, Dalton said, and 

does not yet know that her daughter has 

died. Doctors said that Moser, who was recently accepted to medical school, will hopefully recover with some use of her hands, 

Dalton said. 

MEMORIAL SERVICE INFORMATION

No details as of 7/25/12. 

ALEX SULLIVAN, 27

Alex Sullivan, 27, was celebrating his 

birthday with co-workers from Red Robin 

restaurant at the midnight showing of ‘‘The 

Dark Knight’’ when he was killed. Sullivan 

was also about to celebrate his one-year wedding anniversary. ‘‘The Sullivan family lost 

a cherished member of their family today,’’ a 

release from the family said. ‘‘Alex was 

smart, funny, and above all loved dearly by 

his friends and family.’’ 

Tina Desautels from APWU let us know 

Alex Sullivan, is the son of a postal worker 

in Aurora—Tom Sullivan. 

MEMORIAL SERVICE INFORMATION

Visitation (Public): Thursday, July 26, 2012 

from 12 pm to 4 pm MDT at The Heartlight 

Center, 11150 E. Dartmouth Avenue, Aurora, 

CO. 

Funeral: Friday, July 27, 2012—TBD. 

ALEX TEVES, 24

Shooting victim Alex Teves, 24, recently 

earned his master’s degree in counseling psychology from the University of Denver. A 

friend, identified only as Caitlin on Twitter, 

posted messages on the social media network 

early Friday from the Century 16 theater, 

and wrote on Twitter early Saturday that 

Teves was, ‘‘One of the best men I ever knew. 

The world isn’t as good a place without 

him.’’ She also described Teves as a fan of 

the University of Arizona and Spider-Man. A 

University of Denver spokeswoman said 

Teves, from Phoenix, Ariz., graduated in 

June. An official notice of Teves’ death will 

be sent to the University of Denver community later Saturday. Teves’ personal 

Facebook page lists him as a 2010 graduate of 

the University of Arizona, and a 2006 graduate of Desert Vista High School in Phoenix. 

MEMORIAL SERVICE INFORMATION

The Teves family is planning to hold memorial services in Arizona and New Jersey, 

however more specific details have not yet 

been released. 

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. 

Speaker, I too rise in support of Mr. 

PERLMUTTER’s comments in relationship to our own Aurora Police Department, as well as all the other law enforcement entities that have helped in 

this terrible tragedy. 

I now yield as much time as he may 

consume to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. GARDNER). 

Mr. GARDNER. I thank the gentleman from Aurora for yielding time 

to share today, and thank the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. PERLMUTTER) for your leadership and your 

comfort and encouraging words during 

an incredible tragedy. 

And to the President, thank you for 

sharing your love with Colorado, as 

well as to Governor Hickenlooper for 

the leadership that he has provided 

throughout this past week. 

This Chamber has seen its incredible 

days of victories, of celebrations, of 

great triumphs for this country. And 

today we discuss a resolution that 

talks about one of our Nation’s great 

tragedies. And so we join together as a 

delegation to talk about an event that 

we, in Colorado, know we will not let 

remain a tragedy, but will turn into remembrance of those who are good in 

our State and our country. 

We oftentimes in Colorado forget because of the great beauty of our State 

that sometimes the hearts of all people 

don’t match that beauty. But as we sat 

at the prayer vigil this past Sunday 

and looked out as the rays of sun broke 

through the clouds, on the choir, on 

the many people of faith who had gathered, we know that this one dark moment in history will be matched by far 

greater light. And it’s our obligation to 

make sure that that indeed happens. 

As a father, I can’t imagine the great 

loss of families and friends, the victims 

of this horrendous crime. And our 

hearts, our prayers, our thoughts go 

with them as we build a stronger community going forward. 

The many people of faith who have 

prayed, the people in this body who 

have shared their prayers and thoughts 

with the community of Colorado remind me of a passage in the book of 

Matthew, where Jesus went out onto 

the lake in the middle of a storm with 

his disciples, and he looked out upon 

the stormy waters and he said, peace 

be still. And we ask that those who are 

troubled, those whose hearts are yet to 

heal, we ask for the peace that we all 

so desperately need. 

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Mr. Speaker, I 

yield 1 minute to the leader, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. PELOSI). 

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank 

Mr. PERLMUTTER for yielding, and I’m 

very sad to join my colleagues in expressing the deepest sympathies of the 

House of Representatives to the families and loved ones of the victims in 

Aurora, Colorado, and to the entire 

community as it grapples with its 

grief. 

My colleagues have spoken very movingly from the standpoint of faith; and, 

hopefully, that faith will be a comfort 

to those who are affected. 


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July 26, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H5301 

As you know, Mr. Speaker, when we 

learned of this tragedy, the President 

ordered flags to be flown at half staff 

for 1 week to commemorate the tragedy that Aurora, these individual families, and our country had suffered. 

That was done as a mark of respect for 

the 12 innocent victims of the senseless 

violence and for all who were affected. 

Of the victims who were murdered, 

and that’s just the word that day, the 

vast majority were very young people. 

The one, Gordon Cowden, was a father 

in his fifties—well, that seems young 

to me; the others were very young— 

whose last words to his daughters were 

to tell them he loved them. 

Each of them has a story that deserves to be told. Each was beloved. 

Each left home with a different expectation of what would happen that 

evening, and so did the rest of the 

country. 

Several died protecting their loved 

ones, including John Blunk, Alex Teves 

and Matt McQuinn. Alex Sullivan was 

about to celebrate his 1-year wedding 

anniversary, and that was the celebration, going out to the movies. 

A.J. Boik had just graduated from 

high school. Jessica Ghawi dreamed of 

being a sports journalist. Micayla 

Medek and Rebecca Wingo were pursuing their futures at community college. 

Two victims, Jesse Childress and 

John Larimer, were Active Duty military personnel. They signed up to risk 

their lives for our country to protect 

our freedom. Who could have ever 

thought that they would lose their 

lives going to the movies? 

And as a child, Veronica Moser will 

now forever be remembered as the 6- 

year-old. What a sad tragedy. 

Most of us here in this body are parents and grandparents, and in STENY’s 

case, a great-grandparent, and every 

person knows the feeling of sending a 

child off to a movie with their friends, 

the excitement of an opening night, 

and then the worry when the minutes 

tick by and someone hasn’t come 

home. 

It is with heavy hearts that we send 

our thoughts and prayers to the many 

grieving today, and we continue to 

pray—thank you for taking us down 

that path; we continue to pray for the 

healing of those who survived, both 

their physical pain and their emotional 

scars. That’s probably the hardest. 

We send our gratitude to our first responders. Within minutes, when minutes counted, when seconds counted, 

they responded with bravery and with 

professionalism. 

In the words of this resolution, the 

Congress ‘‘honors the resilience of the 

community of the City of Aurora and 

the State of Colorado in the face of 

such adversity.’’ 

May you feel the support and love 

and prayers of our Nation. May those 

tragically taken from us be honored 

and remembered. May time heal our 

grief. 

I hope it is a comfort to those who 

are affected by this tragedy, who lost 

loved ones, or have injuries in their 

families, that so many people throughout the world mourn their loss and are 

praying for them at this sad time. 

b 0950 

GENERAL LEAVE

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. 

Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 

all Members may have 5 legislative 

days in which to revise and extend 

their remarks and include extraneous 

material on House Concurrent Resolution 134. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there 

objection to the request of the gentleman from Colorado? 

There was no objection. 

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Mr. Speaker, I 

again inquire about the balance of 

time. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Colorado (Mr. PERLMUTTER) has 21⁄2 minutes remaining. 

Mr. PERLMUTTER. I yield 2 minutes 

to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. 

HOYER). 

Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman 

from Colorado, who has been so involved and so eloquent in expressing 

the grief that his constituents share, as 

have been all the Members from Colorado on either side of the aisle who 

have come together to share this grief. 

Mr. Speaker, when tragedy of this 

kind strikes, our hearts go out to those 

whose lives were cut short and to those 

who lost loved ones. In the aftermath 

of this shooting, we have seen both an 

outpouring of love and support for the 

victims and their families and a quickness to point out what might have been 

done differently. That is our nature as 

Americans—always seeking answers, 

searching for corrective action, for a 

measure of logic amid the irrational. 

But the first question we ought to 

ask and is already being asked is: How 

can we draw closer as a community? 

Not just the community of Aurora, but 

the community of Americans. 

As President Obama said on Friday: 

If there’s anything to take away from this 

tragedy, it’s the reminder that life is very 

fragile. And what matters at the end of the 

day is not the small things; ultimately, it’s 

how we choose to treat one another and how 

we love one another. 

I would add it is also how we commit 

to live with one another as neighbors. 

We may not share the same faith or 

politics or philosophy, but we do share 

a fundamental belief that our people 

should feel safe in our theaters and 

malls and schools, in their homes and 

on the streets—wherever they go. And, 

today, we share the pain of the people 

of Aurora. 

But we also share in the hope that 

the city whose name is the ‘‘dawn’’ will 

find in our sympathy and prayers the 

comfort it needs during this dark hour 

to begin the process of healing and to 

believe again in a brighter tomorrow. 

Mr. PERLMUTTER. I would just like 

to end, Mr. Speaker, by thanking my 

friends—and they are my friends—and 

colleagues from Colorado. 

From all of us, Aurora and everybody 

who has been so affected by this senseless act, we are praying for you. We 

love you. 

This act actually affected people 

from one coast to the other. A lot of 

people from all over the Nation were 

there. In fact, at the time, from a nearby military base, there were 53 members of our military—Army, Navy, Air 

Force, and Marines—who were in that 

theater that night. This is something 

that touches us all, something that we 

will all remember. We will heal. Let’s 

hope and pray something like this 

doesn’t happen again. 

With that, I yield back the balance of 

my time. 

THE SENSE TO FIND . . . 

(By Albert Carey Caswell) 

The . . . 

The sense to find . . . 

As now we so ask why? 

So ask why? 

All in our hearts and minds . . . 

Hearts and minds! 

As the tears we find . . . 

We find! 

All because of this most evil crime . . . 

For all of those most precious lost lives . . . 

Lost lives! 

And for all of those injured who must now so 

rebuild their lives! 

The tears we find! 

As all of those smiles so come to mind . . . 

And all of that pain these families must now 

so carry until the end of time! 

Of all of those lost loved ones and their most 

precious lost lives! 

Precious lives! 

As it’s here we so ask why? 

Ask why? 

For where does the answer lie? 

So lie! 

All in that old age question, that rhyme! 

Of Good versus Evil, as old as mankind! 

Goodness . . . Evil . . . Darkness . . . Light! 

This battle, this endless fight! 

To bring the light! 

As we so ask why? 

Ask why? 

All in your hearts this night! 

Take these words of hope to but bring the 

light! 

That still, the darkness is but no match for 

The Light! 

For The Light! 

For hope and love, will ever so rise above all 

of this blight! 

This blight! 

Let not all in your pain and heartache, let 

not escape! 

The strength to so find! 

For hate is hard! 

It makes me cry! 

When, I see those tears in your families’ 

eyes! 

As we so try to the sense to find . . . 

To find! 

But, take comfort all in your hearts and 

minds . . . 

Hearts and minds! 

All in your souls now so very deep down inside! 

As up to Heaven, all of these twelve innocent 

souls have now so taken flight! 

Taken flight! 

To Heaven find, to become Angels with our 

Lord on high! 

As all in our Lord’s arms they now so lie! 

This very night! 

As from your most swollen eyes the tears 

you now so wipe! 

So wipe! 

So find the sense to find! 


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H5302 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE July 26, 2012 

And say a prayer for all of them, 

and all of those, and their loved ones who 

now so cry! 

So cry! 

Whose pain shall not so die! 

So die! 

And somehow find the strength, 

all in what their short lives so meant! 

All in the hope and light, 

that over evil . . . the goodness so burns 

bright! 

Burns bright! 

To the sense to find, 

upon this very night! 

The sense to find! 

As we lay their sacred bodies so down to rest! 

Amen! 

Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Mr. 

Speaker, I yield back the balance of 

my time. 

Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support 

of H. Con. Res. 134 and in support of the 

greater Denver community in the wake of the 

Aurora, Colorado tragedy. 

Twelve lives have been lost, 58 injured, and 

countless others affected by the shooting in 

Aurora, Colorado on July 20, 2012. 

This horrible crime reminds us that our time 

here is short, and that while we cannot always 

prevent senseless acts of violence, families, 

friends and neighbors can come together as a 

community to honor those we have lost, celebrate those who are still with us, and resolve 

to do all we can to prevent future violence. 

The Aurora community has exemplified this 

spirit of resiliency in the wake of tragedy, and 

is truly an inspiration for all of us. 

While we know not every senseless act of 

violence can be avoided, we can—and must— 

work every day to treat each other with decency and genuine respect. 

And I hope that this act of violence will not 

just sit on a page in our history books, but be 

a catalyst for the important conversations we 

have avoided all too long. 

There is more that we can do to protect our 

families and communities from gun violence. 

There is more that we can do to support our 

mental health care systems—both to avert future violence and to support those who are 

touched by it. 

And there is more that we can do to create 

a culture of tolerance and understanding. 

We stand together across our nation, knowing we are not grieving alone, and that others 

share our outrage at violent actions and violent rhetoric. 

As the Denver community heals from this 

senseless tragedy, please know that you are 

in the thoughts and prayers of all Americans. 

Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 134 to condemn in the 

strongest possible terms the heinous atrocities 

that occurred in Aurora, Colorado. 

But future generations will condemn us if 

sole response to this massacre is the passage 

of this resolution. 

As we watch the news from Colorado with 

horror and sympathy for the families, we 

should remember that each day more than 80 

Americans are killed by gunfire, unnecessary 

tragedies. Arguments that gun safety legislation won’t help the situation seem to me illogical or blindly ideological. 

Earlier this week we held a moment of silence for the victims and their families. I hope 

Congress does not remain silent about the 

many things we can do to try to prevent such 

tragedies from occurring in the future. We 

must increase our attention to mental health 

issues, we must support our local first responders with the tools and resources they 

need, and we must implement real and sensible gun control measures. 

Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 

condemn the unspeakable acts that were carried out in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, on July 20, 2012. 

I offer condolences on behalf of myself and 

the people of Texas District 11 to the innocent 

men, women, and children and their families 

who were victims of this cowardly act. 

While the pain and anguish continues, the 

people of Aurora should know they are not 

alone in this time of suffering. The hearts, 

thoughts, and prayers of the people of Texas 

are with them. 

The Lord’s words can provide comfort in 

times of tragedy. I am reminded of Psalms 34, 

which says, ‘‘The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in 

spirit.’’ It is my fervent prayer that the Lord will 

be a constant comfort to the victims and families and that he will hold them close to him as 

he begins to heal their wounds in body and 

spirit. 

May the Lord bless them with comfort in the 

face of senseless tragedy and peace in the 

face of unanswerable questions. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time 

for debate has expired. 

Pursuant to the order of the House of 

Wednesday, July 25, 2012, the previous 

question is ordered. 

The question is on the concurrent 

resolution. 

The concurrent resolution was agreed 

to. 

A motion to reconsider was laid on 

the table. 

f 

MESSAGE FROM THE SENATE 

A message from the Senate by Ms. 

Curtis, one of its clerks, announced 

that the Senate has passed without 

amendment a bill of the House of the 

following title: 

H.R. 5872. An act to require the President 

to provide a report detailing the sequester 

required by the Budget Control Act of 2011 on 

January 2, 2013. 

The message also announced that the 

Senate has passed a bill of the following title in which the concurrence 

of the House is requested: 

S. 285. An act for the relief of Sopuruchi 

Chukwueke. 

f 

RED TAPE REDUCTION AND 

SMALL BUSINESS JOB CREATION 

ACT 

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, by direction 

of the Committee on Rules, I call up 

House Resolution 741 and ask for its 

immediate consideration. 

The Clerk read the resolution, as follows: 

H. RES. 741 

Resolved, That during further consideration 

of the bill (H.R. 4078) to provide that no 

agency may take any significant regulatory 

action until the unemployment rate is equal 

to or less than 6.0 percent, as amended, pursuant to House Resolution 783, the further 

amendment printed in section 2 of this resolution shall be considered as adopted in the 

House and in the Committee of the Whole. 

SEC. 2. The amendment referred to in the 

first section of this resolution is as follows: 

In section 102(b), strike ‘‘employment’’ and 

insert ‘‘unemployment’’. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from North Carolina is recognized for 1 hour. 

AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE

OFFERED BY MS. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be 

amended by the amendment I have 

placed at the desk. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The 

Clerk will report the amendment. 

The Clerk read as follows: 

Strike all after the resolving clause and insert the following: 

That during further consideration of the 

bill (H.R. 4078) to provide that no agency 

may take any significant regulatory action 

until the unemployment rate is equal to or 

less than 6.0 percent, as amended, pursuant 

to House Resolution 738, the further amendment printed in section 2 of this resolution 

shall be considered as adopted in the House 

and in the Committee of the Whole. 

SEC. 2. The amendment referred to in the 

first section of this resolution is as follows: 

In section 102(b), strike ‘‘employment’’ and 

insert ‘‘unemployment’’. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there 

objection to the request of the gentlewoman from North Carolina? 

Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. 

Speaker, reserving the right to object, 

I think we should have an explanation 

here. The Clerk read the technical language; but as I understand it, what 

happened was that the bill that we 

were voting on yesterday and will vote 

on today has an error and gets ‘‘employment’’ and ‘‘unemployment’’ confused and that this is a bill that would 

correct the error in the bill that we debated yesterday. 

So I wonder, why do we now need a 

unanimous consent? Are we correcting 

the correction? It’s the old Latin 

phrase ‘‘Quis custodiet ipsos 

custodes?’’ which means, ‘‘Who guards 

the guardians?’’ I guess the question 

today is, Who corrects the correctors? 

I would yield to the gentlewoman 

from North Carolina if she would explain why we had to get a bill to make 

a correction and why we now have to 

have a unanimous consent to probably 

correct the correction. What is the 

error? I guess I should ask, What is the 

error of the day? We know what yesterday’s error was. What’s today’s error? 

I yield to the gentlewoman. 

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, if I might 

respond to the gentleman from Massachusetts, I appreciate his asking the 

question because it gives us an opportunity to do a mea culpa. That’s my 

ability to quote Latin this morning in 

response to the gentleman from Massachusetts. 

Yes, there was a very minor error in 

the rule that was passed the day before 

yesterday, which was that two letters— 

the letter ‘‘U’’ and the letter ‘‘N’’— 

were left off of one word. 

b 1000 

Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Reclaiming my time to say, if that’s the 


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